Apparatus for mounting foundations



Aug. 28, 1945. G. A. 'CARPENTER 'v APPARATUS FOR uouNTING FoUNDA'rIoNs Filed April 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 28,. 1945.v G. A. CARPENTER FOR MOUNTING FOUNDATIONS Filed April 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \.\\\%N.P\.Nur N C C Q C, e w m\ Q ww f, a u

Patented Aug. 28, 1945 APPARATUS Fon MOUNTING FoUNDATIoNs Gilbert A. Carpenter, Riverside, Calif.

Application April 15, 1944, Serial No. 531,223

3 claims.

` "'Ihisuinvention relates to the art of bee culture andis particularly useful in the mounting of wax comb foundations on frames by which these, are

`suspended in the hive.

The practice has long been followed in bee culture of supporting wax comb foundations on frames by a series of fine wires strung across the frame and embedded in the wax of the foundation. Considerable difliculty, however, has lbeen Itliiet with in uniting the wire with the founda- It is anwobfject of my invention to provide a novel and efficient apparatus for embedding reinforcing wire in a wax comb foundation.

Y It is another object of my invention to pro. vide such an apparatus by which this operationy may be quickly and economically performed by apiarists.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in ,connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

commodating recesses 26, see Figs. l and 2, the purpose of which will be made clear hereinafter. The top I5 is provided with a recess 2`|` in which a coiled expansion spring 28 is retained.

y superimposed over the top I5 is a rectangular foundation platform 29 which is pivotally connected by hinges 30 to the base top I5. The platform 29 has a central gauge plate 3| and side gauge plates 32 mounted on one end thereof and a pair of gauge plates 33 and 34 mounted on the opposite end thereof, all of these gauge plates extending above the upper surface of the platform 29 a distance equal to slightly less than half the depth of a wax foundation 35 0n which the embedder I0 is adapted to operate. `'I he gauge plates 32 extend below the platform 29 so as to K engage the electric contact plates 25 when the Fig. 1 is a plan view of a perferred embodiment of the apparatus of my invention.`

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevational View taken in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an opposite end elevational view taken l on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6 and illustrating an essential step in using the apparatus of my invention.

Fig. `5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, is taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 7, and illustrates a succeeding step in using the apparatus of my invention. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 andistaken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

Referring specifically to the drawings1 the apparatus of my invention is there shown in the form o1' an embedder I0 which 'has a rectangular wooden base II including ends I2 and I3, sides I4 and a top I5. The base end I2 has an electric plug receptacle I6 with electric leads I1 and I8. The ends I2 and I3 are provided with hooks I9 on which is strung a single piece of coiled electric resistance wire 20. Secured to an end of the base top I5 adjacent the base end I2 are electric contact plates 25, one of which is connected to one end of the resistance wire 20, the other 0f which is connected to the lead I1. The lead I8 connects to the other end of the resistance wire 20.

Opposite sides of the top I5 have finger acplatform 29 is depressed'.

Operation rThe apparatus I0 of my invention is employed for embedding reinforcing wires 40, which are strung on a frame 4I, in the Wax foundation 35.

The kwire 40 is a single length and is strung between ends 48 and 49 of the frame 4I to form four strands a, b, rc and d. The Stringing of the wire on the frame yends is done by extending the wire through holes therein, the opposite ends of theA wire being located where strands a and d pass through and are secured to the frame end 48. Strand a extends from frame end 48 through frame end 49 returning as strand b, which passes through the frame end 48 and then returns, as strand c, to frame end 49 from which it returns as strand d to frame end 48.` It is thus seen that opposite ends of the wire 40 are located at the frame end 48 directly over the gauge plates 32 and the electric contact plates 25. It is also seen that the strands a and b adjacent the frame end 49 pass over the gauge plate 34 and strands c and d adjacent this end pass over gauge plate 33. It is also to be seen that strands b and c adjacent the frame end 48 pass over the central gauge plate 3 I.

The foundation 35 and frame 4I having been placed on the platform 29,` as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the embedding operation is performed in about three seconds by grasping the opposite side edges of the platform 29 with the fingers of the two hands and pressing down with the thumbs on the sides 50 and 5I of the frame 4I so as to stretch the strands a, b, c and d of wire 40 across the upper face of the foundation 35 and then pressing the frame 4I downwardly to bring the opposite ends of the wire 40 into contact with At the instant the wire is thus embedded, l

downward pressure of the hands on the frame 4l is partially relaxed, allowing the platform 29 t rise breaking contact between the plates 25 and 32. The current through the wire 40 is thus broken so that the latter is no longer heated and the wax quickly hardens about strands a, b, c and d of this wire while these strands are still held taut by a slight downward pressure of the hands on the frame 4l. A perfect embedding of these strands in the foundation 35 is thus produced.

The notches 26 provide room for the finger tips in the operation of my invention as shown in Fig. 5.

The reinforcing wire im with which the frames 4I are strung usually consists of a single eight foot piece of 28 gauge iron wire which is preferably tinned although untinned wire may be used.

The apparatus I0 of my invention is adapted to be employed with electricity from a 110 volt domestic electric system. The resistance wire is preferably such as to reduce the voltage down to about 28 volts. The circuit which is formed by operation of the device IIJ draws approximately six amperes.

While the gauging of the depth to which the wire sinks into the foundation is a valuable element of my invention as it makes it fool proof, the invention, in its broader aspects, may be performed by a skilled operator without such a positive gauge of the depth to which the Wire 4D penetrates the foundation at the extreme ends of the latter. As a practical matter, therefore, the device l0 may be operated with the gauge plates 3l, 32, 33 and 34 fiush with the upper face of the platform 29. When this is done the wire 4D may out almost through the foundation 35 right at its ends yet be properly embedded in the rest of the foundation. thereby giving a satisfactory mounting of the latter on the frame 4I. To do this, downward pressure on the frame 4l must be partially relaxed to break the electric circuit before the hot wire strands have melted themselves too far into the wax foundation, While continuing to hold these strands taut until the wax cools.

No matter how my method be performed, it is essential that the Wires a, b, c and d be kept taut while the wax is cooling so that these Wires will be properly embedded in the wax of the foundation when this congeals about the wires.

It is thus clear that my invention as disclosed is subject to various modifications Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an apparatus for embedding a reinforcing wire in a wax comb foundation, the combination of: a platform for supporting said foundaton; means for yieldably supporting said platform; and means operative when said reinforcing wire is stretched and pressed downwardly against an upper face of said foundation to pass electricity through said wire and heat the same causing it to embed itself in said foundation.

2. In an apparatus for embedding a reinforcing wire in a wax comb foundation, the combination of: a platform for supporting said foundation while said wire is being embedded therein; means adapted to engage said wire when the latter is pressed in taut condition against the exposed face of said foundation to heat said Wire by passing electricity therethrough and means for disconnecting said heating means in response to a partial relaxation of the pressure of said Wire against said foundation.

3. In an apparatus for embedding a series of reinforcing wires provided on a frame in a wax comb foundation, the combination of: a base; a platform hingedly mounted at one end thereof on said base so as to substantially overlie the Y GILBERT A, CARPENTER. 

